Car Boot tips and tricks please

Dizzie_3

I'm doing my first car boot this Sunday with a friend, we're going to TommyField market in Oldham. It costs £13 for the stall and we've been told people start queuing at 2am even though the place doesn't open til 6.15am!!! My friend wants to start about 6am as she's been told if all the stalls are gone we can sell stuff from the back of her car.

I'm feeling a bit nervous and would really appreciate any tips as I havent a clue what I'm doing and it's my freinds first car boot too.

I've been advised to take lots of change and some carrier bags but can anyone give me any more advice like what sorts of things sell best at a car boot?

I have lots of stuff like bedding, clothes, kitchen items and baby stuff.

prophecy_grrl

Hi - my recommendations are:

Make sure you take a drink and snack with you, so you don't spend profit on warm cans of pop that cost £1 or cold cups of coffee at the same price.

I find that the best things to sell in CBS are ornaments, books, kitchen items, cosmetics (yep, even if half used!). Clothes sell well if you have a stand / rack for them, and put a big florescent (sp?) sign on the stand saying 50p per item (or however much you're selling for)

Don't price things too high or they won't sell, and be prepared to haggle

Have fun on Sunday, let us know how you get on

ssparry

I am doing a carboot tomorrow with my 1yr old, we're gonna have fun!

Some tips....I find anything sells, espec baby stuff!

Don't label things, wait until asked and then start at a higher price, say you want £5 for something, say £7 - somebody looks wealthy up it a bit more! lol

Clothes ell very well on a clothes rail and the messier clothes on a wallpapering table, or in front of the table and on the floor - on top of a shower curtain if muddy!

Lots of change, and sell things to the nearest pound not 75p!
Lots of carrier bags

If you are starting early, be prepared for dealers, we normally have a cuppa when we arrive until the dealers have passed, they can be intimidating I find.

Best tip - don't wander around looking at other stalls you are guaranteed to spend your profits and come home with more than you went with lol! Good luck

onredbull

My advise would be to take
some A4 sheets of paper,
marker pen
and seletape
so that if you want to price certain items later on (mid morning-lunchtime) you can.
Also near the end you can write things like
"Everything must go"
or
"Make us an offer"
or
"3 for the price of 2"
ect.

When i first went to car boot sales, i would not ever ask a price of anything as i was too shy and nervous.

Enjoy it but remember you are taking all that stuff to the car boot sale to get rid of it and if you ask too much for something, you could end up taking it home with you.

I know that a lot of people at car boot sales want something foe nothing but i always think "What price would i pay for this item if i was to buy it from car boot sale?"

Guinea_2

Hi there
My sister and I enjoy doing CBS and also enjoy going to them. I'm actually going to one as a buyer tomorrow in Finmere.
The best things that we have found sell well are ornaments (the cr*ppier the better I find!), clothes, records, books and baby things.
I do advise taking a flask of tea and a mid morning snack to help you along and also....go to the toilet SEVERAL times before actually leaving home as you usually find that the toilets at CBS (if there are any at all!) are usually grotty places with no toilet paper! Just in case we usually take a toilet roll with us!
Be prepared to barter with people. I really enjoy that portion of the day and just hate it when people aren't even prepared to barter with you. Boring!!
Enjoy yourself and I hope you make some money!!

onredbull

Guinea wrote: »

Hi there
My sister and I enjoy doing CBS and also enjoy going to them. I'm actually going to one as a buyer tomorrow in Finmere. QUOTE]

Hiya
What is the car boot sale like at Finmere ?
I have been to the market on a few occasions but never yet to the CBS.

Is it about the size of the market ?
What is it like compared to MK Bowl CBS ? (which is HUGE in summer)

mjl_3

Hi
As above take plenty of change & carriers.
I have found that household items sell well, mainly to immigrant workers searching for cheap items to furnish rented accomodation.
In summer, toys seem to sell also.
Don't be intimidated by dealers, most are looking for dvd's at rock bottom prices. Remember not to give stuff away, you are there to sell.
A good thing to say when bargaining is this ( assume you have summat marked at a tenner & you get offered say £6 for it, but you have dropped your price to say £8)
"Look I'll not take your £6 just now the price is £8, but if you pop back nearer the end of the boot sale and I've still not sold it you can have it for £6"
Works nearly every time

Contains_Mild_Peril

Dizzie wrote: »

It costs £13 for the stall

:eek: It better be good for that sort of money! That's about twice the going rate in most places isn't it? !!

and we've been told people start queuing at 2am even though the place doesn't open til 6.15am!!! My friend wants to start about 6am as she's been told if all the stalls are gone we can sell stuff from the back of her car.

Do they give a huge discount on the usual stall fee for that? If they charge only a little less than for a full-sized pitch, I wouldn't even think about it. Can't stallholders book in advance as at most boot sales? And what time do they let the customers in? Will there be enough time to set up when you finally get to your pitch if you're among the last stallholders to arrive?
If you've been to the sale (or others nearby) as a customer, you'll have some idea of what sort of prices to charge. I usually decide how much I want for something then add a little to allow for haggling. Baby goods (especially clothes) tend to be plentiful at boot sales I've attended, so usually need to be competitively priced to sell well. Quantity discounts (e.g. 50p each or 3 for £1) encourage customers to buy more.
A transparent dust sheet (available from DIY and some £1 shops) is useful in case of rain, so you can cover your mercahndise without concealing it from view - unless you get a covered stall for your money (I'm not familiar with the venue, but I imagine they must be offering something above average if it costs £13).
It may be a good idea to use price labels, so if one of you wants to go and look around or use the toilet etc, the other can mind the stall and will know what the prices are.

pingua

car boot sales by us - well last year they were £5/6 . not small places either.

have fun and do not let the traders into your boot...

wish i could get organised enough to do one this weekend.... but i am not.

MoaningMyrtle

My tips are to load the car, so the items you want to take out first EG table are on top.

Take your own drinks and food, suncream and hat or warm clothing if you need it.

Put smaller items on blanket on floor and do everything on it for 50p. Other prices that things go for here are paperback books 20p, hardbacks £1.00, clothes £1.00, DVDs £2.00, puzzles/games £1.00.

If you have anything of value eg jewellery or mobile phones, keep this in the footwell of your passenger seat until the traders have finished their visit, then get it out 1/2 hour later when genuine browsers are looking.

I also lock the doors of my car and keep the boot unlocked.

Be prepared to haggle as well, it is great fun normally, the ones I go to as a buyer or seller have a great atmosphere.

(the one I went to today was £5.00, they also gave me a ticket for free entry next time I want to sell. Every vehicle is £5.00. Another one has a complicated price structure, my Renault Scenic is classified as an MPV there so it is £8.00, vans etc are £12.00)

Contains_Mild_Peril

My local one charges £5 for cars and £7 for vans if booked in advance. I think it's £1 more if you just turn up on the day. Since cars are cheaper than vans I asked if there was a discount for not having a vehicle at all, but sadly not! The bigger boot sale in my town is £7 for cars and £10 for vans.